MARCH 22, 23, 29, 30, and 31, 2007
7:00pm-9:30pm

Open Doors: Queer Graduate Students & Friends is proud to announce the eighth annual Reel Queer Festival official program.

All screenings will be held in Hall of Languages, Rm. 107 on the Syracuse University campus. Screenings are FREE and open to the public. Free parking will be available, on all dates, at the University Place lot. Parking may also be available at other SU lots, however you may incur a small fee. For more information call 315-443-3983.

For direction to Syracuse University, the University Place parking lot, the College of Law building or Grant Auditorium, click here.

As always, our festival emphasizes the diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender experiences and focuses on what is left out in mainstream cinema, while at the same time not entirely neglecting mainstream fare — a mix that has proven to be successful in the past. We are confident that our festival will be of great interest to the queer community and to queer individuals on campus.

Lesbian and gay film festivals traditionally serve an important community function by affirming our lives, making us visible and enabling us to learn about the stories and histories of other queer people in the United States and around the world. At the same time, festivals of this kind also help to inform people who don't identify as queer to become more aware of sexual and gender diversity and reduce prejudice and dangerous ignorance.

2007 Reel Queer Film Festival Program

Thursday, March 22, 7:00pm

IN MY FATHER'S CHURCH (2004)
(49 mins)
Charissa is a lesbian who wants a church wedding, but it doesn’t seem to help that her dad is the pastor of the town’s United Methodist Church. While he has been quietly supportive of his daughter’s lesbian relationship, Charissa’s father knows he would put his career at risk if he chose to officiate at her marriage ceremony. In 1999, the Methodist church took a firm stand by suspending a pastor for officiating a same sex union—and the clashes between clergy and gay couples have been making headlines ever since. Compelling and honest, IN MY FATHER'S CHURCH is a poignant exploration of the intersection of homosexuality and religion, from the perspective of someone who has much at stake. Though disappointed by her father’s resistance to marry her, Charissa and her bride-to-be Kelly continue to make their wedding plans—finding support in surprising places, and eventually are married by Charissa’s uncle. This emotionally charged story of one woman’s attempt to reconcile her love, faith and family brings to life the deep conflicts that gay marriage has caused in many churches—and for many individuals trying to maintain their faith while preserving their own identities.

A LOVE TO HIDE (2005)
(102 mins)
Paris 1942. Under German occupation and Vichy persecution of the “third sex”, two young gay lovers, Jean and Philippe must keep their relationship a secret. Into their lives falls Sara, a young Jewish woman and an old friend of Jean’s. While Jean and Philippe harbor Sara from the Nazis, Jean’s brother Jacques, a black marketeer, returns from prison. As everyone tries clandestinely to keep their secrets, Jacque’s jealousy and betrayal threatens them all.

Friday, March 23, 7:00pm

TUMBLEWEED TOWN
(6 mins)

BLACK & WHITE (2006)
(17 mins)
A beautiful and stylish film about the creative collaboration between one individual and a photographer, BLACK AND WHITE also shines a sensitive light on a subject that is too often either shunned or sensationalized: the experiences of intersex people (sometimes called hermaphrodites). This fascinating film artfully explores the potent creative collaboration between Mani Bruce Mitchell and the acclaimed photographer Rebecca Swan. Portrayed through this lens, Mitchell’s story introduces viewers to notions of fluid gender identity, challenging the rigid categories of “male” and “female.” At birth Mitchell was assigned the gender “male” but when investigative surgery subsequently revealed that “he” had ovaries, “Bruce” was renamed “Ruth” and reassigned the gender “female.” BLACK AND WHITE picks up on Mitchell’s story in 2005, weaving together her unflinching yet unexpectedly humorous insights, along with Swan’s descriptions of their creative collaboration on a book about gender identity. Documenting the way Mitchell boldly expresses her own intersex identity through the medium of art, the film challenges the viewer to see Mitchell for who s/he is. Combining intimate, present-day interviews with rich archival slides, photographs and film footage, as well as playful fragments of Super-8 stop-motion animation, BLACK AND WHITE is a stunning tribute to Mitchell’s courage and fierce commitment to change.

3 GUYS, 1 GIRL & 2 WEDDINGS (2005)
(90 mins)
Dan And Laurent are best friends and roommates. Womanizer Dan hosts a radio show called "Let's Talk Sex". A professed commitment-phobe, Dan finds the "love of his life" on a weekly basis. This makes life tough for physical therapist / gay activist Laurent who's desperately in love with his best friend. Laurent campaigns vigorously for the right of gays to marry; of course, with a singular purpose in mind. When Dan meets Camille, he's thrown for a loop. In love for the first time, he finds himself staring down the barrel of his greatest fear: marriage. Meanwhile, Laurent scrambles, trying anything to break them up. Step 1: finding a new roommate in militant lesbian Sam, who, it turns out likes Camille. Step 2: scaring Dan away from marriage. Laurent sends Dan to meet Camille's parents, writes letters to Dan pretending to be an old girlfriend, wears Camille's wedding dress to a rally, anything it takes. Step 3: converting Dan. But an unstoppable series of events steamrolls Laurent's schemes. Now as Dan's best man, will he find the courage to declare his love, or will this be the end of their long friendship?

NO DUMB QUESTIONS
(24 mins)
Uncle Bill is becoming a woman. This lighthearted and poignant documentary profiles three sisters, ages 6, 9 and 11, struggling to understand why and how their Uncle Bill is becoming a woman. These girls love their Uncle Bill, but will they feel the same way when he becomes their new Aunt Barbara? With just weeks until Bill's first visit as Barbara, the sisters navigate the complex territories of anatomy, sexuality, personality, gender and fashion. Their reactions are funny, touching, and distinctly different. This film offers a fresh perspective on a complex situation from a family that insists there are no dumb questions.

ONE WEDDING AND A REVOLUTION
(19 mins)
On February 12, 2004, the mayor of San Francisco ordered city officials to allow lesbian and gay couples to get married. Pioneering activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, celebrating their 51st anniversary, had the privilege of being the first couple to tie the knot. One Wedding and a Revolution goes behind the scenes at the mayor's office during the frantic days leading up to February 12th, and into city hall with exclusive footage of this momentous historical event. Packed with humor, compassion, and political grit, this inspiring short documentary puts a human face on the fight for marriage equality --- of those who deserve their rights and those who have the political power to make change.

Thursday, March 29, 7:00pm

AVAILABLE MEN
(15 mins)

BROTHER TO BROTHER (2004)
(90 mins)
BROTHER TO BROTHER invokes the glory days of the Harlem Renaissance through the memories of Bruce Nugent (Robinson), who co-founded the revolutionary literary journal Fire!! with legendary authors Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and Wallace Thurman. BROTHER TO BROTHER is the story of Perry (Mackie), a young black artist kicked out of his family home for being gay. Trapped between the worlds of the black community and the gay community, Perry searches for a connection in the real world. In his library research for a class project, Perry finds a book about the Harlem Renaissance and recognizes it as the work of Bruce Nugent. Soon they encounter each other at the homeless shelter where Perry works. When Perry confronts Bruce about who he really is and begins to ask him about the Harlem Renaissance, the two men embark on a literal and metaphorical journey to the creative center for the younger, rebellious generation of the Harlem Renaissance. BROTHER TO BROTHER visits the landscape of Bruce's memories, which exposes Perry to the legacies and hardships of pioneering black authors. By witnessing the pride that Bruce and friends exuded, Perry begins to gain a stronger sense of identity.

THE LOST TRIBE (2005)
(56 mins)
While ex-Mormon-lesbian-atheist Sue-Ann Post has carved out a name for herself as a stand-up comic in Australia, she has been estranged from her family ever since she decided to abandon her Mormon upbringing. When she publicly demanded to be excommunicated from the Mormon church on a national TV talk show, she got what she asked for—leaving her completely ostracized from her Mormon community. This highly engaging doc follows Post as she journeys to Salt Lake City where she has been invited to speak at the Affirmation Conference—an annual gathering of gay and lesbian Mormons and ex-Mormons who are trying to reconcile their faith with their homosexuality. As cynical as she has become about her former religion, Post finds herself struggling with conflicting emotions that she had buried for years, while realizing that she has finally found her own lost tribe. Hilarious and moving, THE LOST TRIBE offers fascinating insights into the Mormon faith, and reveals the often explosive intersection of sexuality and religion.

Friday, March 30, 7:00pm

HELLO, THANKS
(6 mins)

BOY I AM (2006)
(72 mins)
An important exploration of issues rarely touched upon by most films portraying female-to-male (FTM) transgender experiences, this feature-length documentary sets itself apart from other recent films on this topic. Because some women in feminists and lesbian communities view transitioning as at best a "trend" or at worst an anti-feminist act that taps into male privilege, in-depth conversations about transgender issues have often been resisted in these circles. For the first time, BOY I AM opens up this dialog between feminists, lesbians, and transmen. This groundbreaking film at once promotes understanding of transgender issues for general audiences, while also encouraging conversations heretofore unexplored between the lesbian, feminist, and transgender communities. In the course of the film, three young transitioning FTMs in New York City- Nicco, Norie and Keegan- go through major junctures in their transitions, discussing everything from their relationships with their bodies, feminism, and the intersection of race and class with their transgender identity. Their stories are interspersed with interviews with lesbians, activists and theorists who engage with the often-contentious questions and issues that are raised within the queer and feminist communities but are rarely discussed openly. Situating these struggles and stories as inextricably linked to queer and feminist struggles, BOY I AM presents an empowering chronicle of queer resistance that challenges all viewers to rethink their concepts of activism and identity.

INNOCENT (2006)
(80 mins)
Vulnerable young Eric is at a crossroads in his life, both geographically and emotionally. A reluctant immigrant plucked from the familiarity of his Hong Kong existence to the rootless suburbia of Toronto, he establishes his gay sexual identity while his family slowly disintegrates. Soon, he finds himself falling for a succession of men while learning and growing from every painful experience. Innocent is a quintessential North American tale. With new immigrants comprising such a large part of the social fabric, director Chung forces us to face the reality of their existence, and to make us see the dark, gray world they face every day as they step out into their new lives. The film is an incisive and nuanced take on the difficulties in reconciling the often conflicting aspects of oneself - in this case, being Asian in North America and gay in a heterosexual world.

Saturday, March 31, 7:00pm

ON MY SKIN (2006)
(8 mins)
What's at the intersection of race, color, gender, and family relationships? On the cusp of gender transition from female to male, Logan Gutierrez-Mock, a light-skinned person of mixed race, realizes he will soon be passing not only as a man, but also as a white man. He journeys to Mexico, the country of his grandfather's birth, a place where his own mother has never been, to search for connection with his family and his Chicano heritage. Through a candid interview at home and a visit to a street fair in San Francisco's famous gay district, the Castro neighborhood, Logan shares insights -- about acknowledging his white-skin privilege, challenging assimilation, and affirming identity -- that he gained from his travels.

STRAIGHT BOYS
(15 mins)

BEAUTY BEFORE AGE (1997)
(22 mins)
This groundbreaking film explores the power of youth and beauty in the gay community. A diverse group of gay men, ages 19 to 77, negotiate their fears of becoming old, undesirable, and alone. The film critically examines the pressure to look young and attractive, the lack of positive older role models, and the ways in which AIDS intensifies the fear and process of aging. Beauty Before Age offers a male perspective on a historically female issue, and illuminates the larger societal obsession with physical appearance.

SMALL TOWN GAY BAR (2006)
(81 mins)
Malcolm Ingram’s heartwarming documentary takes us to those spaces in America where small-town gays and lesbians find each other, and where their lives can be celebrated rather than hidden. Setting his focus on two bars in rural Mississippi, Ingram paints a portrait of gay life often overlooked by urban-centered gay culture. It’s a reassuring portrait, offering glimpses of beautiful, brave people coming together to love themselves and each other with grit, determination and high style. In a time when America disappointingly shows the same old jaundiced face to its gay citizens, small-town gay bars serve as social centers and supportive environments. Not that such bars escape controversy, persecution or even disaster; Ingram astutely observes the forces that led to the closure of one bar, and traces the tragic torture-and-murder saga of one patron, teenager Scotty Weaver. However, just as plentiful and forceful are the portraits of people who return to the bars again and again, where partying and hooking up share the stage with a sense of defiance and self-determination.

Program is subject to change due to the availability of films.
All films will be digitally projected.